Wire-stretcher.



No. 764,408. PATENTBD JULY 5, 1904. 0. ADKINS. WIRE STRETGHER..

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 9, 1904. N0 MODEL. I

4 w 1 u 1 WMMWH MK H i Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT Orrics.

CALVIN ADKINS, OF ANSELMO, NEBRASKA.

WIRE-STRIETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,408, dated July 5,1904.

Application filed January 9; 190

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, CALVIN ADKINs, a citizen of theUnited States, and aresident of Anselmo, in the county of Custer and State of Nebraska, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Wire-Stretchers, of which thefollowing is a specification. I

My invention relates to an improvement in wire-stretchers, the objectbeing to provide a simple device of powerful leverage for stretching twowires at a time or practically at the same time; and the inventionconsists in a frame adapted to be fastened at one end to a suitablesupport in connection with two ratchet-toothed bars to which the wiresare connected in any approved manner, a lever pivoted to the frame andcarrying dogs or pawls which operate in conjunction with the toothedbars to alternately apply pressure to one and then the other, and meansfor locking these bars against outward movement.

My invention further consists in certain novel features of constructionand combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described, andpointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of myimproved wirestretcher on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 2 is a viewshowing the wire-stretcher applied in the operation of stretching twowires.

A represents the frame, which may be of any approved construction in thegeneral dimensionssay thirty inches wide by thirty-six inches longand itconsists of the longitudinal strips 1, 2, and 3 and the uprights 4 4 andat the ends thereof. At the rear ends these uprights are proi ided withholes adapted to receive a ring or chain-link 6, and chains 7 7 extendrearward to a ring 8, to which another chain, 9, is secured forfastening the device to a post or other support. A pair ofstretching-bars 1O 10 are mounted. slidably in the frame just over theupper and lower longitudinal bars and between the uprights. These SerialNo. 188,316. (No model.)

hand-lever 14 is pivoted to the central longitudinal bar, asat 1 5, andthis hand-lever carries the pawls or dogs 16 16, which may be gravitypawls or dogs or spring-actuated, as preferred they being in positionand adapted to engage the teeth of the stretching-bars. Dogs 17 17,pivoted to the frame, are arranged in position to engage the teeth ofthe stretching-bars, whereby to lock the bars as they are drawn forwardby the hand-lever.

In the operation of the wire-stretcher in practice it is fastened asexplained above and the grips are attached to two wires 'to bestretched. The hand-lever is then moved back and forth, the dogs on theframe holding the stretching-bars as they are drawn forward and thepawls or dogs on the lever automatically engaging the teeth and firstdrawing one bar forward with the vibration of the lever in one directionand the other bar forward with the vibration of the hand-lever in theother direction. In this way each motion of the lever is effectual instretching a wire, and a motion back and forth stretches two of thewires uniformly.

It is evident that slight changes might be made in the form andarrangement of the several parts described without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limitmyself to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wire-stretcher comprising a frame, slidable stretching-bars havingteeth thereon, means for connecting each bar to a wire, and means forlocking these stretching-bars, and a lever which alternately slides thebars forward, one with each stroke of the lever.

2. In a Wire-stretcher, the combination with a frame composed oflongitudinal and upright bars, toothed stretching-bars having slidingconnection with the frame, and'means for connecting each bar to a wire,of a lever pivoted ata point'between the stretching-bars and providedwith dogs or pawls for engaging the teeth of the stretching-bars, andalternately I0 means foralternately causing the lever to engage and movethe bars endWise to stretch the Wire attached thereto, and means forlocking the bars While the lever is taking a new hold.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscrib- 5 ing Witnesses.

CALVIN ADKINS.

Witnesses:

S. J. BAKER, G. C. DISHMAN.

